Background: The use of postoperative prophylactic antibiotics following augmentation mammoplasty remains a controversial topic, with many surgeons opting for extended prophylaxis.

Objectives: The authors evaluate the role of postoperative prophylactic antibiotics in both primary and secondary cosmetic breast augmentation.

Methods: A five-year retrospective chart review was performed on all patients undergoing cosmetic breast augmentation at a single institution from January 2005 to December 2009. The four attending physicians in this study utilized similar perioperative protocol and implant materials. Patients were divided into two cohorts: those who had received three days of postoperative antibiotics (primarily cephalosporin’s) and those who had not. End points of particular interest included infection, capsular contracture (CC), and local wound complications. The mean follow-up time was 3.8 years.

Results: A total of 605 implants were included over the five-year study period. The overall infection rate was 0.66%. For primary augmentation, 493 implants were studied, with 52% of those patients having received postoperative antibiotics. There was no statistically significant reduction in infection, CC, or total complication rate for those receiving postoperative antibiotics. Similarly, 112 implants were studied for secondary augmentation, and again, postoperative antibiotics were not associated with a reduction in complications.

Conclusions: The data suggest that there was no reduction in the overall rate of total complications, infection, or CC with postoperative prophylactic antibiotics for either primary or secondary cosmetic breast augmentation. This study provides Level 3 evidence in support of discontinuing prophylactic postoperative antibiotics following cosmetic breast augmentation.